Shocking images show a dead dolphin that washed up on a shore had plastic wrapped around her beak after she likely starved to death.

The image was taken by a passer-by who found the 'emaciated' creature behind the the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club.

The female suffered a series of very deep injuries where the twine-like plastic had tightly bound her snout closed.

Experts believe the dolphin may have died as a result of being caught in fishing gear, known as a bycatch.

The pictures serve as a reminder of the risks posed by plastic pollution and the heartbreaking toll it is having on our marine species.

Jersey's States' Fisheries and Marine Resources Department have said that they have not been able to locate the dolphin and have urged residents to keep a look out.

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This shocking picture shows a dolphin that washed up on a British beach with rubbish wrapped around its beak. The animal was found by Sandra Hilton who took this image before reporting the find to the relevant authorities

Paul Chambers, from the fisheries department, said: 'It looks as if something became wrapped around its beak and there are a series of very deep injuries.

'It could have been a piece of rubbish that got wrapped around its beak or it could have got caught in fishing gear and struggled to get out.

'It did look emaciated and could have starved to death but I will have to wait for the dolphin to be recovered - I cannot guarantee the cause of death.'

A spokesperson from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation has said that the dolphin is more likely to be a victim of incidental capture in fishing net.

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He told Mail Online: 'It looks like this dolphin may have died as a result of being caught in fishing gear (also known as bycatch) - the biggest threat facing dolphins, porpoises and whales.

'Getting trapped in fishing gear is a horrific way to die. Like you, whales and dolphins can't breathe underwater. They panic and can endure terrible wounds and broken bones as they try to escape.

When they can’t struggle any more, they close their blowhole and suffocate. Others carry gear with them for months to years as they slowly die from infections and starvation.

But officers from Jersey's States' Fisheries and Marine Resources Department have not been able to located the dolphin. They said the dolphin, which looked 'emaciated' was tagged - and have now urged islanders to look out for it

'We are campaigning for strong national UK laws to stop deaths in fishing gear in UK waters after Brexit.'

Mr Chambers added that staff from his section had gone down to the beach to pick up the animal yesterday morning but had been unable to locate it.

'The dolphin may have drifted back out to sea but, with the tides at the moment, it will probably come back in again,' he said.

'It looked quite thin and it did not have any bulk at the top of the shoulders - and we will also have a look at its sides.

Paul added that he did not think the creature would have drifted far and asked for people to contact the department if they spotted it.

He also said that the species was not one which was commonly seen close to the Island's shores.

'The common dolphin is more of an offshore species found to the west and north-west in deeper waters but they are occasionally seen in shallow waters,' he said.

'That does bring it into potential contact with trawlers occasionally, but it is impossible to tell if that is how it died.

'It looks as if it has been dead for several days and has drifted a few miles.'

HOW MUCH PLASTIC IS IN THE ARCTIC?

The pristine waters of the Arctic are turning into a floating rubbish dump – posing a threat to marine life, scientists warn.

One of the densest areas of plastic rubbish anywhere in the world’s seas has been discovered north of Norway and Russia.

Miles from civilisation, the amount of plastic waste in the Barents Sea – on the margins of the Arctic Ocean – has risen almost 20-fold in just ten years.

The detritus, which included plastic bags and fishing nets, was discovered more than 8,000ft below the water’s surface.

The litter was logged at two polar research stations between Greenland and the Svalbard archipelago – found half way between Norway and the North Pole.

The data was recorded by researchers from Germany’s Alfred Wegener Research Institute and published in the journal Deep-Sea Research I.

In one area, the amount of waste had risen from 346 pieces per square kilometre in 2004 to 6,333 in 2014.

Scientists now fear the region has become one of the world’s biggest floating rubbish dumps, alongside other zones in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Fishing nets are a big source of plastic pollution on the Arctic island of Svalbard, with an estimated 80 per cent of plastic rubbish coming from fishing.